Happily Ever After
by ChocolateChipFudgeyCookie
Summary: In which Lily learns that not everyone gets a happily ever after.


They sat in the park in an awkward silence, which was not surprising considering they had been mortal enemies the day she had gotten her letter from Hogwarts. Still, your big sister didn't get married every day, so Lily decided to be the bigger person and make an effort.

"Looking forward to the wedding?" She asked, swinging back and forth, kicking her legs.

"Counting the days." Petunia replied dryly, tossing her dull hair over her shoulders. Her engagement ring glinted, large and ostentatious, just like her fiancée. Lily was surprised at the lack of the snotty tone usually present, so she decided to press her luck.

"I know that you're the 'apple of his eye' and he 'can't live without you' but Merlin, you could do so much better than him Petunia." Lily sighed, hugging her knees to her chest. She stared at the grey sky, avoiding her sister's eyes and waited for the outburst to commence.

"Could I?"

The fact that Petunia had answered seriously, and wasn't shouting at her for daring to insult her precious Vernon was enough to make Lily fall off her tyre swing.

"What are you talking about?" Lily demanded, eyes watering. She rubbed her head fiercely to try to alleviate the pain. "Of course you could! You could find someone intelligent, someone who would understand you better than you understand yourself, someone that would love you just because you're you! Are you honestly telling me you don't want all these things for yourself Petunia?"

"I never said that."

"Well then, you know perfectly well Vernon fits into none of these categories. It's not too late to break it off! I know the perfect guy, just your type-"

"No, Lily, you don't understand." Petunia interrupted. "I know Vernon isn't any of those things. He isn't the man I've been dreaming of finding all my life."

"So what's the problem?" Lily asked impatiently. "If you don't love him-"

"If you'd let me finish, I'd tell you!" Petunia snapped, her face twisting into a scowl and getting dangerously close to the normal sneer Lily associated with her big sister. "No, he isn't any of those things. But he loves me, and I think in time I'll be able to reciprocate his feelings. Someone like me isn't destined to find someone like your Potter." This was all said without any bitterness, in a matter of fact tone.

"What do you mean?"

"Of course you wouldn't understand." Petunia grumbled, twisting her fingers and turning the gold band on her finger. "You're an intelligent, beautiful, independent young woman Lily. You're a witch, favoured by our parents, loved wherever you go, of course a Prince Charming type character would fall for you. Me? I'm not clever, pretty, nor do I have a repertoire full of spells. Vernon was probably the best offer I was going to get, and I'm not so foolish enough to fill my heads with petty fantasies that cannot be."

Lily was shell-shocked. Petunia had complimented her, and degraded herself in the same sentence. And more importantly; she didn't love Vernon. She thought so little of herself, that no would want her, _could_ ever want her, which was why she was marrying herself off to someone she did not love. Petunia was not stunning, Lily had to admit, but she wasn't hideous. With the right makeup, and if she would just let her hair down from that uptight bun, and just _smile_ she could be considered pretty. But as it was, she kept her hair up, her face stern and plain. Lily felt a lump rising in her throat, and she hopped off the swing to hug her sister.

"Don't pity me." Petunia said after Lily had finally relinquished her grasp. "He will try to make me happy, and we will be able to have a comfortable life together. I won't want for anything." Lily didn't miss the 'try'.

"But Pet, listen, you're not ugly, and you are most definitely not stupid. If you'd just let me show you a few tricks with eyeliner, you'd have every guy who looked your way staring at you!" Lily was determined that her sister should see she was not trapped to this one route, and she was making a huge mistake.

"But who would look at me when they could look at you?" Petunia's simple question had Lily speechless again, and she searched her mind for other ways to argue her point. Petunia took advantage of this. "Look Lily, not everyone can have their Mr. Darcy. Sometimes you just have to settle with Mr. Collins, and be happy with it. You will live a happy life with your Potter, have a dozen children who will all have messy black hair and bright green eyes and die peacefully with him by your side. You've been fortunate, so be grateful. I haven't been as lucky as you, but I'm content with my lot in life."

Lily was openly crying now. She gulped down the tears and mumbled, "It just doesn't seem fair. You deserve to be happy."

"Every child born to this Earth deserves to be happy. But some are twisted by malice, so much so they relinquish that right. _I _relinquished that right when you turned eleven, when I hated you for being what I could not."

"I forgive you for that." Lily whispered. "I would have been jealous too."

"Not all of us will get the prince and live happily ever after." Petunia murmured, not hearing, or choosing not to listen to her sister. Their gazes met, and Petunia managed a half smile before she leapt up from her swing and started to walk back home.

Lily stared at her shoes, and thought of James, his warm smile and laughing hazel eyes, and his nose slightly off centre from being hit by a bludger repeatedly. No matter what Petunia said, there was someone out there for her. Lily firmly believed in soul mates, someone for everyone; whether you met them or not was just fate. A wave of determination spread through her and she hopped off the swing. She would find Petunia's soul mate; she would see her elder sister happy. She owed her that much. Lily knew she didn't have much time, and she set off for home with a spring in her step. One way or another, she would make sure Petunia met her other half and save her from a lifetime of misery. Failure was not an option; Lily Evans never failed.


End file.
